Broken Fences
by sangreal7
Summary: Prentiss faces her disappointment with Hotch, post events in Demonology. Follow up to '28 Days Later', but can be read alone.


**A/N: Picks up right after the end of '28 Days Later', but can be read as a stand-alone. **

**For romiross who gave me the fantastic idea. Minor Spoilers for Demonology.**

**I realize I like Rossi/Prentiss … a lot!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Criminal Minds. I'm just playing a little :)**

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"Rossi, Prentiss, my office."

Hotch spoke from up on the catwalk outside of his office, overlooking the bullpen. His tone was brusque and his face was set in even more of a stoic cast than usual. Also as usual, it gave nothing away, but if you'd known him long enough, it was enough to indicate that something was certainly up. David Rossi had known Aaron Hotchner more than long enough.

It couldn't be a case because Hotch had only requested Prentiss and Rossi's presence. That meant it was just relating to them. Knowing Aaron could have no idea about him and Emily as yet made Rossi certain that it could only be about _that_ 'case'.

At the moment Rossi was standing at Spencer Reid's desk, talking with him and Emily. He hadn't even reached his own office for the morning as yet. He'd seen Emily, sitting on Reid's desk, laughing at something the young profiler was saying. Her eyes were sparkling, and as she threw back her head in delight, she looked carefree and happy. He'd walked over to them because he had not been able to resist just being in her presence, despite the fact that she had left his home less than four hours ago.

Rossi had walked into the bullpen this morning only half focused on work. The rest of his focus was solely on the incredibly beautiful woman who had spent the majority of the weekend in his bed. The same woman who was now seated perfectly calmly on Reid's desk, as though she hadn't rocked the very foundations of his life.

When, at about a quarter before nine, Hotch had called to them, both of them looked up at him in surprise. To their credit, they did not even look at each other before heading up the short metal staircase to Hotch's office.

To anyone else, it would have appeared as a normal gentlemanly gesture for Rossi to allow Prentiss to precede him up the staircase, along the catwalk and through the open door through which Hotch had already passed. Emily, however, knew full well that while David Rossi was a perfect gentleman, he had also taken the opportunity to watch her as she walked in front of him. Despite the obvious seriousness of the moment as they stood in Hotch's office, Emily mentally smirked as she remembered certain moments of their weekend.

Her mind returned swiftly to the moment at hand however, when Hotch looked up from the papers on his desk, and seemed surprised to see both her and Rossi still standing.

"Sit down, both of you … please." The last word seemed to be tacked on when he realized they were both just looking at him.

"What is this about, Aaron?" Rossi asked as they took their seats. Emily stared at a spot between Hotch and the wall behind him, her mind definitely no longer on her weekend tryst.

Hotch seemed reluctant to speak. He sat up a little straighter in his chair and tapped a piece of paper on the desk in front of him.

"We received a letter from the Vatican regarding Father Silvano." Hotch looked at both of his agents briefly. "It simply says that Fr. Silvano will be made to account for his actions. It doesn't give any other details."

"That's more than we were even expecting." Rossi noted. "That why you called us up here?"

"Not exactly." Hotch hadn't missed the fact that Emily had not once looked at him since she entered the office. It wasn't accident that he addressed his next words to her.

"We got off light. The Vatican also copied this letter to the Italian Government and the State Department. It's another good reason for no action to be taken against the BAU, and the team in particular … this time."

Both Rossi and Emily had noticed that Hotch had directed the comments to Emily only. But Rossi spoke before Emily could.

"Leave Prentiss out of this, Hotch. This was all on me and you know it. I made the decision to visit Matthew Benton's family."

Rossi had leaned forward slightly in his seat and Emily knew this would not go well if she didn't step in. David Rossi generally had a tendency to get over-protective. She was sure he would be even worse now when it came to her. Besides, she had some things she wanted to say to Aaron Hotchner.

She faced him directly now. Her eyes were dark and seemed bottomless. In the dark gray pantsuit, hands held loosely in her lap, she was the epitome of controlled professionalism. Only the tiniest hitch in her voice gave away how strongly she felt.

"When I first came to you about Matthew's death, you were willing to give me the leeway I asked for, and you offered me the help of the team. I will always be grateful for that Hotch."

Emily paused a moment, but it was only to gather her thoughts. Then she continued, her voice now more measured and controlled, "What I can't accept was how easy it appeared to be for you to completely back down when the political backlash began to come down."

Hotch opened his mouth to speak, but Emily interrupted immediately, "No. You need to hear this, Aaron." The use of his given name came as a shock to both men. "I understand better than anyone how the politics of a situation can make decisions difficult. But it seemed to me that you weren't willing to try hard enough to find a way around it. It took Da – Rossi to tell you what should have been obvious."

All while she was speaking, Emily kept the tears from her eyes, and while her voice remained strong, Rossi knew that it wasn't easy for her to say what she was saying. It was all he could do to not reach across and take her hand. Instead, he let his gaze linger on her while he kept his expression neutral.

"I was trying to protect the team, Prentiss." Hotch's explanation sounded weak to his own ears, though he knew that it was the absolute truth.

"Oh I get that. I do." Emily's eyes sparked fire now. She stood, never taking her eyes off her boss. "But it still hurt that you were willing to sacrifice Matthew's death and those of the others to do it. Especially after we found out about John being the next victim. They were my _friends_, Hotch."

She couldn't stay in that office anymore. Facing the hurt again made it all seem fresh. She had once believed that Aaron Hotchner was the one man who would not let her down. The betrayal of that was something she was not really ready to put aside.

Emily turned on her heel and walked to the door, hearing Hotch call to her just as she put her hand on the doorknob.

"Prentiss."

She stopped, head bent for a moment. Both men saw when she squared her shoulders and took in a deep breath for what she was about to say next. Without turning around, she spoke for the final time.

"You know what hurt me the most?" Not waiting for an answer, she went on. "I remembered a time when I was ready to give up my dream job, rather than be the instrument of your downfall. You forgot."

Opening the door, she walked out, shutting it quietly behind her.

David Rossi had never been more proud of Emily Prentiss, or hurt more for her, than in that moment. He stood up.

"If you'll excuse me, Aaron." The gravely spoken words were merely a formality, as Rossi immediately turned and left the office.

"_The woman I love needs me now far more than you do, old friend_." Rossi thought as he quietly shut the door behind him.

As his office door closed for the second time in less than a minute, Aaron Hotchner had the unsettling feeling that he had eroded his stockpile of both trust and respect with more than one member of his team.

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A/N: I needed to write this story, but in doing so, I realized one thing – I need way more experience under my belt before I can write a believable Hotch. He feels very wooden to me. My apology for that. I do intend to work on it.**


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